Sacked Saudi whistle-blowers have criticised a lack of protection from the Ministry of Labour after they lifted the lid on alleged corruption and malpractices in their offices, it was reported.
They said the ministry failed to give them immunity from disciplinary action from their employers and did not give them anonymity, the Saudi Gazette reported.
However, ministry spokesman Hattab Al Enezy reportedly said disclosure of informers’ identities was essential to take legal action against corrupt officials.
“However, the other party has no right to take disciplinary action against those who lodge complaints,” he was quoted as saying.
“In case of termination from a job in violation of the law, the victim can approach the Commission for the Settlement of Labour Disputes seeking justice.”
According to sources quoted by the Gazette, the commission’s branch offices across the Kingdom were receiving a growing number of complaints from workers saying they had been fired by their employers without any justification, especially after managers found out that they were passing information to authorities about corrupt practices in the workplace.
Whistle-blower Assam Al Johaimi was reported as saying: “I was sacked after my management found out I had informed the authorities that the company had hired some illegal workers.”
“The disciplinary action against me demonstrated that there was no protection from the ministry in whistle-blowing cases,” he added.
Al Johaimi said informing authorities about corrupt practices in the workplace was an “extremely risky act”.
According to the Gazette’s report, the commission’s Jeddah branch was currently examining a petition filed by Al Johaimi claiming that he was fired after he had notified the ministry about the presence of illegal workers at a leading factory in Bahra, located between Jeddah and Makkah.
As a result of the complaint, authorities raided the factory and fined the owners for committing Labour Law violations.
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